Wi-Fi & connectivity

[BetaTester3]

My first Roku.  Tried to set up my new Roku Express and repeated attempts to login to router have failed.  Tried restarting both Roku device and router.  Still no luck.

Suggestions?  I'm ready to drill a hole in the wall and run an ethernet.

Beta Tester From the Nether Regions

[renojim]

There have been many "Express" versions over the years and they don't all have the same capabilities.  What's the model number written on it somewhere or displayed under Settings->System->About (if you can get there).  What error messages or codes are you getting when you try to connect?

[BetaTester3]

Model 3960X.  No error message, just "cannot connect". 

[renojim · Accepted solution]

That model is dual-band, so it does support 2.4 and 5 GHz channels.  Note that if the "Nether Regions" are outside of the US then some channels that are supported in your region may not be supported by Roku devices, but I assume that if you were using a channel that isn't supported your network wouldn't show up at all.  You can try connecting to your phone's hotspot (if possible) to verify if the device is working at all.  For more information about Wi-Fi connections, you can read:

How to improve the Wi-Fi or wireless internet connection to your Roku streaming device | Official Ro...

[jontalk]

@BetaTester3While I'm in the US, this sounds like a connectivity issue. Have you tried adding an app like WiFi Analyzer to your phone to learn whether the channel you're using is congested? If you have an iPhone search for something similar and once you see how many others are on the same channel, log into the router and switch to a different one. Hope that helps

[BetaTester3]

Thanks, but I'm not sure how the channels are relevant to my problem.

BTW, "Nether Regions" is a humorous euphemism, as I have a decided talent for finding glitches in software just by trying to use it.  I'm in Austin Texas.

I don't think I have a phone hotspot....my phone uses wi-fi calling when I'm at home, via my router. At least I think that's how it works.

The installation finds my router, it just won't log in.  I've rebooted both device and router and triple checked the password.

Could there be settings on the router that are preventing log-on?  It's either that or just give up and keep using my laptop and internet for streaming.

Beta Tester from H**l

[BetaTester3]

Thanks, but Im' not using my phone.  I'm using a cable internet connection via a wifi router.

[renojim]

@BetaTester3, the only router setting I can think of off the top of my head is MAC filtering where your router only allows devices that you specify by MAC address to connect, but I would think that you'd have had problems with other devices if you had that enabled.  What exactly happens when you try to connect to Wi-Fi?  There must be some kind of error code, not that they're all that helpful when you do get one.  Who is your ISP?